(A) Field of the Invention
The problem of water pollution from liquid petroleum products and like fluids having a density less than that of either fresh water or sea water has become of major concern throughout the world in recent years. Such pollution of the water results from the handling of the oil or other fluids either in transporting or storage on or near the water, which oftentimes results in accidental spillage or leakage of oil onto the water surface, as well as from the use and discharge of the fluids into the water. When such spillage, leakage, or discharge occurs, the oil must be removed as promptly as possible since the oil will tend to spread on the surface of the water and will be carried by the current of the water over great areas.
The prolonged presence of these floating petroleum products and like fluids on the water creates extremely hazardous conditions since they will deleteriously affect all forms of marine life, are quite harmful to aquatic birds utilizing the water, present a fire hazard, are malodorous to the surrounding area, and prevent the use of beach and like land areas adjacent the polluted water. While major oil spillage of the magnitude of the Torrey Canyon accident and the Santa Barbara platform oil spillage have been given considerable publicity, the day to day water pollution presents the greater problem and is caused by leakage and spillage of the oil from shore facilities adjacent the water, vessels coming into or departing from such facilities, or facilities located just off the shore. The containment and removal of oil and the like from the water in the day to day occurrence is the type of situation that is creating the major problems of pollution and is the one requiring a prompt solution or minimization of damages.
(B) Description of the Prior Art
In endeavoring to solve this serious and increasing problem of water pollution by floating oil and the like, several procedures and techniques have been heretofore proposed and employed. Examples of means heretofore employed for the general removal of the spilled oil are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,664 issued to Paul C. Dahon; U.S. Pat. No. 3,221,884 issued to Jacques Miller; U.S. Pat. No. 2,876,903 issued to Harry W. Lee; U.S. Pat. No. 2,891,672 issued to Cornelis in't Veld et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 2,330,508 issued to Eli S. McColl, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,642,140 issued to myself, James H. Parker. In addition to the mechanical means exemplified by the above patents, chemical treatments have been proposed as well as the use of hay spread over the polluted area or the burning of the oil.
More recently, there have been procedures used wherein other materials either in sheet form or strip form have been employed in the removal of the spilled oil. One such material that has been heretofore employed as an oil pick-up agent are polyolefins. Examples of such use of polyolefins, as well as other materials and agents, are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,146,192 to McClintock, U.S. Pat. No. 3,487,927 to Yahnke, U.S. Pat. No. 3,536,616 to Kondoh et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,537,587 to Kain, U.S. Pat. No. 3,607,741 to Sohnius, U.S. Pat. No. 3,607,791 to Shell, U.S. Pat. No. 3,617,552 to Will et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,617,556 to Cole, U.S. Pat. No. 3,667,608 to Burroughs et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,668,118 to Rhodes, U.S. Pat. No. 3,669,275 to Downs, U.S. Pat. No. 3,748,682 to Rhodes, U.S. Pat. No. 3,756,948 to Weinberg, U.S. Pat. No. 3,767,571 to Lorenc et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,770,575 to Ball, U.S. Pat. No. 3,788,984 to Teng, U.S. Pat. No. 3,810,832 to Rhodes, U.S. Pat. No. 3,812,973 to Stern.
In summation, considerable activity has been and is being devoted to the development of apparatus, systems and means to effect the removal and recovery of oil and like polluting fluids from the surface of bodies of water. There have been, as evidenced from the foregoing, a wide variety of means proposed and tried to effect the removal of oil from the surface of the water with varying degrees of success, but such means have been primarily concerned with removal of the majority of the oil from the surface of the water. However, relatively few of the previously employed means have been concerned with the substantially complete removal of residual oil remaining on the water after the bulk of the spilled oil has been removed from the water.